Ox-yoke



J. TUCKER.

Ox-Yoke.

No. 12,925. Patented May 22, 185 5.

Nmrrms. PHOTD-LITHOGRAPHER, WASNIINGTON. D. O.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN TUCKER, OF NORWAY, MAINE.

OX-YOKE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,925, dated May 22, 1855.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN TUCKER, of Norway, in the county of Oxford and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manner of Constructing Self- Adjusting Ox- Yokes, and that the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specification of the same, wherein I have set forth the nature and principles of my said improvements by which my invention may be distinguished from others of a similar class, together with such parts as I claim and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent.

The figures of the accompanying plate of drawings represent my improved ox-yo-ke.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my oxyoke. 'Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same, Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken in the plane of the line A B, Figs.

1 and 2, and Fig 4 is a detail view which will be hereinafter referred to.

The essential features of my improvements consist in the manner in which the boxes or parts in which the bows are placed are allowed to approach toward and recede from the center of the yoke, the said boxes slid ing freely upon a rectangular frame which is attached to the center box of the yoke, the boxes in which the bows are placed, being severally guided by a geared rack operating upon a pinion in the center of the yoke. I have also introduced a peculiar spring by which the bows are kept in their position in the boxes without wearing upon the same. I

a aa a in the drawings, represent the ox bows which are inserted into the movable boxes b 6-?) b and are kept firmly in their place by the bent springs c, 0, shown in Fig. 4. On the bottom of each of these springs is a flange j, to prevent the spring from wearing into the boxes, which is pressed down upon the top of the box I) b by the upper part of the spring which has a lip to prevent the said spring from being drawn out of the how. The boxes b 6-?) b traverse freely forward and back upon the rods 03 d forming with the end crop bars 6, e the rectangular frame 1 e 0Z e. These rods cl, cl are firmly attached to the underside of the top of the center stationary box f f which may be made of iron or any other material which is strong enough for the purpose. Into each of the movable boxes b b?) b is inserted a guide shaft g, 9 having on the same a geared rack, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Each of these geared shafts engages with a pinion it placed in the center box f f, resting and turning upon a shoulder in the vertical screw shaft 5 2' which runs through the center of the box f f and is held in the same by a nut is. The other end of this screw shaft terminates in a shoulder which bears against the bottom of the box 7 f, the draft ring Z being inserted in the bottom of said screw shaft so as to turn freely with the same.

In most of the self adjusting ox-yokes which have hitherto been constructed the bows were set in a sliding box which traversed on the stationary beam of the yoke. The objection to this mode of construction has been that the necks of the cattle were stripped by the hair catching between the blocks and the stationary beams. This inconvenience which is deemed of great practical importance, is obviatled by my improved yoke, the bows being set in the sliding boxes b b?) b which slide on the rods (1 (Z, the said rods being inside of the boxes I) b, so that there is no surface for the cattle to rub against.

Having thus described my improved oxyoke, I shall state 'my claims as follows:

What I claim as my invention and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent is: I claim the blocks in which the bows are set, constructed so as to slide upon the rods d, cl, &c., as above set forth, in lieu of having them slide upon the underside of the beam to prevent injury as set forth.

JOHN TUCKER. Witnesses:

JOSEPH GAVETT, HENRY B. WEBBER. 

